Don't Mess With Men In Skirts

[beverlonian]

Here's a clipping from our local rag (edited to protect the not-so-innocent):



Whilst their actions cannot be condoned, I would love to know the background to this.

[Pythos]

unfortunately this is another knock for men in skirts.

[crfriend]

unfortunately this is another knock for men in skirts.

This is just a case of a couple of idiots behaving like a couple of idiots; the fact that they had dresses on isn't even tangential to the issue. The only reason it got written up the way it did was for its humour value.

I'll bet you dollars to doughnuts that more barroom brawls are started by idiots in tr*users than by blokes in skirts, and usually there's not much of a mention about it unless the carnage was truly spectacular by local standards or there's something in the story to tickle readers' funny-bones.

[Pythos]

such as blokes in skirts and fishnet tights.

[crfriend]

such as blokes in skirts and fishnet tights.

If we're going to worry about every transgression by some imbecile that gets reported in some local rag then we're dooming ourselves to paranoia about skirt-wearing and will never have the cubes to leave our houses (or closets). My point is that there are idiots all over the place, they, like idiots, do idiotic things, and rational people understand that.

Clearly those two reprobates were looking for trouble -- something which I suspect nobody here does. Their mode of attire was tangential to their desire to get into a fight; it's just that the copy-writer picked up on their "fashion sense" and had some fun.

It's hardly "a blow" to the notion that a civilised man can wear a skirted garment in a civilsised manner. Yes, occasionally we'll be the butt of jokes; we just need to develop thick skins and get on with life -- we cannot "go raving paranoid" about it.

[Pythos]

At last, some good sense being typed here.

I really wasn't trying to detract from the idea of men wearing skirts, it is just I really hate the attatchment of the idea to other not so great things. When it is mainstream enough to appear in tv ads as if nothing is asgance, then I would not care if men in skirts rarely did such things. But right now, when men in skirts is such an odd idea, and the only news is negative, it puts a negative tinge on the whole thing. At least I think it does.

[JeffB1959]

But right now, when men in skirts is such an odd idea, and the only news is negative, it puts a negative tinge on the whole thing. At least I think it does.

Then we should do anything and everything we can to present purely positive images of men in skirts, to remove the stigma of this being some sort of oddity or something to be laughed at or made fun of. That's the best way to remove the negative connontation associated to our passion.

[Kilty]

The only way forward is to get out there and not give a damn! Denim skirts are the way to go, I think. (knee length) Wear them on dress-down days at work, or just wear a pencil skirt to work instead of tr*sers.

That would be the ideal, but I see so many men in shorts and tr*sers, and rarely in anything like a skirt or kilt, we would still get people staring at us, even if they don't say anything out loud, they still think it is wierd. Sadly, it seems it is mostly middle-aged men here, so I think most might dismiss it as mid-life crisis

After my experience, I think there is too much against me to break the mould. When women started wearing tr*sers in the 50's and 60's I think it was more to do with women's rights in general than the actual clothes.

Most men might see this as a struggle to dress.... as women.

These news reports confirm what most people (even if it is a local rag like above) think when they see men in skirts...

Saying that, in http://www.schooldisco.com you will see pics of men in skirts at parties...

[ChristopherJ]

Denim skirts are the way to go, I think. (knee length) Wear them on dress-down days at work, or just wear a pencil skirt to work instead of tr*sers.

I agree with the first part Kilty. I wore a denim skirt the first time I went out in public unbifurcated - and still wear denim fairly often now. It seems to be well accepted (some say almost invisible) by most people.

Pencil skirts I'm not so sure about. I've never worn one so I am only guessing here - but I think they must be very difficult to walk in properly - as most men have a relatively long stride.

Sadly, it seems it is mostly middle-aged men here, so I think most might dismiss it as mid-life crisis

Nah - I had my mid-life crisis when they made me leave college!

I think the reason that most men here are . . . mature in years (ahem) is that we are old enough not to give a damn anymore what other people think. Well, that's not quite true - but we don't care as much what others think as we did when we were in our teens and 20's, say.

I think that the older a man is, the less influence peer pressure has on him - and the more he can think for himself a bit - rather than just follow the crowd.

[iain]

Whether I'm middle aged or not, most of the people I know are in their 20's and 30's. And they all seem to have the exact same kind of problems in life that I do; there's almost no differences. My experience is sometimes useful in helping them out, and their fresh approach is sometimes useful in helping me.

The fact that I'm older doesn't seem to have much bearing on them asking my opinion sometimes -- except for on rubbish stuff like boozing until you fall down. And even then, some of them in their 20's who are nursing damaged heads or broken relationships as a result of unlimited boozing are starting to develop what some of their friends might call decidedly "middle aged" opinions.

So middle age isn't necessarily a bad thing as far as credibility goes.